The Eight Best Local Multiplayer Games To Play With Family On Thanksgiving (2017 Edition)

It’s that time of year again, when you’re getting together with family on Thanksgiving and trying to figure out what exactly you can play together than isn’t a physical board game or on a console two decades old.

There are, of course, local multiplayer games in existence, it’s just that there are less of them than there used to be, so finding them isn’t exactly like popping in any old N64 title. Rather, you have to be on the lookout for modern games that specifically have this feature.

I made a list like this last year, and I wanted to write an updated one for this year. Not every game on this list came out this year, but combined with last year’s list, hopefully you can have a fair amount of options of games to play over Thanksgiving. Here are some of my top picks:

Injustice 2

Netherrealm

1. Injustice 2 (PS4, Xbox One, PC)

I got really into Injustice 2 for about a month and a half earlier this year, and it will probably make my top ten list this year. I’m not much for fighting games usually, but Netherrealm really got everything right here, and playing against friends or family is a lot of fun, given how enjoyable it is to experiment with the moves of all the heroes, including their ultimates, which do not required crazy-long combos you have to memorize. Obviously superheroes beating the living hell out of each other is not suitable for all ages, so use your discretion accordingly.

2. Star Wars Battlefront 2 (PS4, Xbox One, PC)

Yeah, yeah, I know, it’s blasphemy to recommend this game, but I’m thinking younger kids specifically who are old enough to play non-gory shooters, but young enough to not care about EA’s corporate villainy or loot boxes. Fundamentally, you can have a pretty great time with split-screen co-op in Battlefront 2, even if only a portion of the game is accessible this way.

3. Snipperclips (Switch)

Alright I won’t have like, a million Nintendo Switch games on here, but surprise, the Switch has a lot of awesome co-op games. One of them is Snipperclips, an almost-launch game that is designed to take advantage of the Switch’s controls specifically, is the best use of its detachable Joy-Cons for my money, and a truly fun game.

Super Mario Odyssey

Nintendo

4. Super Mario Odyssey (Switch)

Yes, you can play one of the best games of the year (or of the past few years) in co-op mode where one person controls Mario where another controls his hat. That’s all well and good by itself (though kind of annoying in a few parts), but I would say that Mario is actually a good co-op game even if one person is holding the controller, because you can strategize about where moons are and how to get them, which is a lot of fun itself.

5. Overcooked (PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch)

Moving over to the indie side, Overcooked is a great co-op game that just hit the Switch, but is also available on every other platform too. Players control chefs in a kitchen and try to throw together dishes in a time limit, which is a lot of fun to play with friends.

6. ARMS (Switch)

Yep, back to a Switch exclusive. Remember how we all laughed about people playing the Switch in big groups and at parties? Well turns out that exactly how you can play the Switch, including air-boxing your friends and family with ARMS, which is Nintendo’s fun new IP for 2017 and surely going to be the inspiration for a few future Smash Bros. Characters.

Towerfall Ascension

Matt Makes Games

7. Towerfall Ascension (PS4, Xbox One, PC)

The Switch version of this is coming soon, but what started as an Ouya-exclusive, believe it or not, has grown into one of the best indie co-op games on the market as players kill each other off in a low-key battle royale format. It sounds simplistic, but it’s a blast.

8. Don't Starve Together(PS4, Xbox One, PC)

This is the multiplayer expansion to the original Don’t Starve, where players try to survive for as long as possible by hunting down food and other supplies in the wild. Perfect for Thanksgiving! This isn’t exactly the most easily accessible game of the bunch, but it can be a lot of fun when played with others.